Every Traitors UK series (including Celebrity) ranked: From ‘flat and sour’ to ‘deliciously cruel’

4th: The Traitors series 3

Now, I’m not saying that series 3 of The Traitors was bad. Because there were moments of brilliance (Alexander singing opera and falling into a bush, and not forgetting Lisa the priest), but it was held back by a group that refused to work as a team, as well as some format changes that essentially broke a lot of the mystery. 

On the bright side, there’s the sisterhood of Traitors – the tradition of having all women don the cloaks (except for sacrificial lamb, Freddie). Minah led the group so well for a good portion of the game – even managing to protect arguably one of the most hilariously bad Traitors in the show’s history, Linda. 

But oh Linda, what great TV she made. From turning her head when Claudia addressed the Traitors at the very first round table, to her spitting “get over it” at Fozia during the very first face-to-face murder. Even after making a scene by faking crocodile tears at breakfast, she still managed to survive another banishment – though arguably, that was down to the Faithful being completely clueless.  

Once the villainesses recruited Charlotte, who was masquerading around with her fake-ass Welsh accent, it seemed like the competition was in the bag for the Traitors. Charlotte immediately backstabbed Minah and created the perfect alibi for herself.

Except, the producers introduced the ‘Seer’ rule, which meant that the victorious person in a mission (Frankie) could find out the status of any one player in the game. As it turned out, she picked Charlotte, the only Traitor left in the game.

As a result, it became one woman’s word against another. With series 3 being the first time that players in the finale didn’t reveal their true identity, who would the remaining Faithfuls trust?

As it turned out, neither of them. Charlotte was promptly banished, before Frankie followed soon after – it was too much of a risk to keep either player in the game.

But the game didn’t end there, with eventual winners Jake and Leanne also booting off fellow Faithful Alexander. It’s questionable as to whether they did this due to legitimate suspicions of their fellow contestants, or because they wanted a bigger share of the prize pot.  

Add to that the game feeling very personal at times, with kind Faithfuls such as Kas feeling bullied and isolated, and people talking about their families in apparent attempts to guilt-trip one another, and this series just ended on a bit of a flat and sour note. 

3rd: The Traitors series 1

Often, the first year of a competition is seen as a bit of a testing ground – but series 1 of The Traitors UK was truly excellent on so many levels.  

The cloaked villains this time included Welsh dragon Amanda, who had everyone wrapped around her finger (for a time, at least), and of course, Wilfred, the OG head Traitor who backstabbed his allies three times over – Amanda included.  

Perhaps the most dramatic betrayal came when Will (or Wilf) recruited Kieran, clearly with the intention of once again throwing him under the bus to save his own skin. But in a twist that nobody saw coming, Kieran coldly dropped the line “parting gift” to Will when he left the game and wrote his name on the board, causing the remaining players to see their friend in a whole new light.  

Despite some fake blubbering and promises of never speaking to his fellow contestants again, Will was caught at the last minute, while Meryl, Hannah and Aaron all happily split the final prize pot.  

Series 1 also included some other very entertaining moments. While most of the group didn’t catch on to Will until the very end, former Eastenders extra Maddie was gunning for him the whole competition, never going with the group. Attention was also completely diverted from the true antagonists when one contestant essentially lost the plot.  

Tom and Alex went undercover as a couple, keeping their relationship a secret from the group. At least, that was the plan. When suspicion began to mount on Alex, who was also receiving some flirtatious attention from charming young Matt, Tom exploded at the breakfast table and revealed their true relationship, before (inaccurately) accusing everyone of being a Traitor because of his excellent magician skills.  

Perhaps the biggest thing letting this series down was that the Faithful that made it to the end were rather hopeless and frustrating to watch, unlike some of the detectives we see in other editions. Nonetheless, series 1 is still a big step up compared to series 3. 

2nd: The Celebrity Traitors

It’s so hard to choose between The Celebrity Traitors and series 2, so while the latest edition is second on the list, it’s a very close second.  

Firstly, this show had the strongest group of Traitors of any edition, with Jonathan Ross, Cat Burns and (of course) Alan Carr completely hoodwinking the group for most of the competition. While Ross was the first caught, he batted away accusations night after night, and his fellow villains only turned on him when they saw there was no other way out.  

Meanwhile, Cat managed to lie low until almost the very end, slinking through with barely any suspicion. She was only banished after Joe Marler sneakily managed to convince her and Alan that he would vote for David as well, before suddenly “changing his mind” at the round table.

But Alan, wow. Who would have thought that he’d go from sweating up a storm and non-stop giggling to making it all the way to the end? The solo winner used his humour to disarm and deflect suspicion, even when he was directly in the firing line. He pulled off two murders in plain sight in the form of Celia and his beloved friend Paloma, with everyone none the wiser. 

Even when it seemed like Joe Marler had him pegged at the end, he used his banish again speech to turn suspicion back on the former rugby player (the only one to have clocked the truth), and his argument was so convincing that it won over Nick and David – ultimately, to their downfall.  

The reveal was satisfying and surprisingly emotional, and it was so good to see the affection that the contestants had for Alan’s gameplay – roles be damned.   

Add those other viral moments, such as Celia Imrie’s nervous fart, Tom Daley side-eyeing Kate Garraway for being “flabbergasted” and Claudia Winkleman cracking up at Stephen Fry dunking his head in water, and this series will go down in Traitors international history. 

1st: The Traitors series 2

So, what makes The Traitors series 2 different to The Celebrity Traitors? It comes down to whether you prefer your cast to be a tad more supportive and wholesome… or if you revel in bitter betrayal. Personally, I’m the latter.  

The Traitors series 2 was nothing short of a bloodbath. We had one of the biggest villains, Paul, charming everyone around him while coldly sacrificing his fellow murderers – seemingly for fun. He only got banished because he didn’t see his brother-in-arms, Harry, turning on him by planting seeds in the build-up.

With Harry essentially being hailed as a Traitor hunter, he’d secured his Faithful mask to his fellow players… well, almost. Just like Joe Marler was with Jonathan, Jaz (or ‘Jazatha Christie’, as he was often referred to on social media) had Paul pegged from very early on and began to clock it was Harry towards the end of the game.  

But by that point, it was too late. Harry had already formed such a strong bond with poor Mollie, who never stood a chance. She appeared to be torn between her head and her heart at the endgame, even wiping out Harry’s name on the board and replacing it with Jaz.  

She was convinced there were no Traitors left… which made Harry’s final identity announcement over the flames so deliciously cruel. Nothing short of Shakespeare. 

Unlike Nick and David, who embraced Alan when everything was laid bare, Mollie stormed out of the room.

Why? Well, for one, they’re not playing for charity. These stakes are so much higher. Everyone in that room had their own personal goals with the prize pot, which takes away the sentiment of it being ‘just a game’. It’s hard to keep that mindset when you’re so close to a life-changing amount of cash.  

Series 2 also featured breakout star Diane, who takes most of the best moments of 2024. From namedropping her fellow player son (“but Ross is”), to jump scaring Traitor Miles at breakfast when he expected her to have died by the poisoned chalice of rosé, and having her own full funeral procession to send her off. 

With ruthless Traitors, a detective Faithful and a loveable cast, series 2 is the best of the best.